If you’re up for a little kitchen adventure, whip up some Homemade Pineapple Preserves! It’s seriously the best thing to slather on your hot toast in the mornings. Plus, it’s like spooning a bit of sweet sunshine onto your plate to kick off the day. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: about 30 minutes

Serves: about 3 half-pint jars

Ingredients:

This recipe doubles, triples nicely.

3 cups of prepared (crushed) pineapple from one medium fresh fruit (or from three 8 oz cans)

2 C. Sugar

What to do:

To prep fresh pineapple, peel, core, and chop it, then process until very fine. You can also use canned crushed pineapple as an alternative.

To make pineapple jam, boil pineapple and sugar together, stirring to avoid burning. It typically takes 25-30 minutes to reach the gel stage, which is 220 degrees F at sea level. The gel stage temperature decreases by 1 degree F for every 500 feet above sea level. For instance, at 7,000 feet elevation, jams are done at about 206 degrees F.

If you don’t have a thermometer, watch the texture. It’ll thicken up nicely after about 25 to 30 minutes of cooking and it should mound on a spoon. The bubbles will change from what looks like boiling water to more of a glossy sheen.

To can pineapple jam, prepare a water bath canner before you begin making the jam. Once the pineapple jam has thickened to your liking, ladle it into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, and cap.

Process the jars of pineapple jam for 10 minutes, or 15 minutes if above 6,000 feet in elevation. After removing jars with a lifter, cool them on a towel and check seals once cooled. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated for immediate use.